Last for corrective shoes



March27, 1934. SABEL r AL 1,952,685

LAST FOR CORRECTIVE SHOES Filed July 2, 1931 w. mac/M aifioz izgy Patented Mar. 27, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1,952,685 4 LAST FOR CORRECTIVE SHOES chusetts Application July 2, 1931, Serial No. 548,309

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a last for the construction of a corrective shoe that is intended to overcome the tendency of a childs foot, after an operation for club-foot, to return to its inwardly turned or club-foot position.

Such a corrective shoe forms the subject matter of our companion application for Letters Patent and this improved last embodies certain principles of structure adapted for use in the manufacture of such a shoe.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a bottom plan view of a last embodying the principles of this invention, dotted lines being used to indicate the contour of the bottom of a normal or standard type of last.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the last.

Shoe lasts as heretofore made have been constructed on the basis of a certain relationship between the fore-part and the heel portion of 0 the last that involves a marked angular relationship between these two parts of the last in that, from a point intermediate the heel-part and the fore-part, the medial axis of the fore-part is in-, clined or angularly disposed to the medial axis of the heel-part, the inclination being toward the inner or great toe side of the last.

Our corrective shoe improvement above referred to involves a novel departure from this marked angular relationship with the inward inclination of the fore-part axis and the application of this novel principle of construction to a last for making such a shoe forms the subject matter of the present invention.

The invention can be most readily understood if we conceive a last of flexible or plastic material whose entire fore-part, from a pivotal point a little forward of the heel breast line, is twisted or turned toward the outer side until the medial axis of the fore-part of the last lies approximately in a straight line continuation of the medial axis of the heel part.

Since the corrective shoe may be made to suit individual cases, the relation of the medial axis will not always be that of exactly straight alignment as the outward swing of the fore-part axis may be continued slightly beyond the straight line position, or it may stop slightly short of the straight line position.

In the drawing the contour line a designates the contour line of the bottom surface of the last, which conforms to the insole area in the finished shoe, while the line b indicates the overhanging portions of the last above the bottom surface as they would appear in a bottom plan view.

The dotted line (1 indicates the contour line of the bottom surface of a last for a substantially normal .childs shoe. To indicate the marked difference between the axial relation of the forepart of a last for a normal shoe and of the present corrective last, we have indicated by line a: the substantial alignment of the medial axis of the heel with the medial axis of the fore-part, while line y indicates the relation of the medial axis of the fore-part of a normal shoe to the medial axis of the heel portion, which heel axis is the same in the normal last and in the present corrective last. This shows the marked divergenes or outward turning of the fore-part of our improved last in comparison with the fore-part of a normal last.

The last in the present instance is shown in the form of a main block 1 including both the heel and the fore-part and a separable instep block 2 but, apart from the relative positions of the heel-part and the fore-part and of their medial axes, the last may be constructed in any suitable or well known manner.

Another characteristic of a last made in accordance with the principles above disclosed is that a line or straight edge laid in contact with the high point or ball point of the outer side of the last and with the outer side of the heel will be substantially tangent to the ball point on the outside of the last, as shown by line if in Fig. 1, whereas a line drawntangent to the corresponding ball point of a normal last will lie some distance outside of, and away from, the heel portion of the last, as shown by line t.

What we claim is:

1. A last for a corrective shoe for club-foot embracing, a heel-part and a fore-part relatively disposed to each other to have their respective medial axes lie in an approximately straight line, the ball point on the inner side being more remote from medial points in the heel than is the outside ball point.

2. A last for a corrective shoe for treatment of club-foot characterized by a substantially straight line arrangement of the medial axes of the fore-part and of the heel-part, respectively, the ball points on the inside and on the outside of the last being unequally distant from any medial point in the heel of the last.

ISADORE SABEL. LAURIE S. MACDONALD. 

